River North’s Rec Room Is Like a Cooler Version of a Basement Party

Christmas lights, spiked punch, and free frozen pizza at midnight.

Beneath Henry’s Swing Club lies Rec Room (18 W. Hubbard St., River North), a companion spot that seems to take its inspiration straight from a movie version of a raging high school party.

For starters, upon entering the space (which opens at 10 p.m.), you’re poured a shot of spiked punch to get you in the mood for dancing beneath a disco ball. There’s a fully stocked jukebox (though there was also a DJ when we stopped in), cheap drinks poured out of a bar that’s strangely reminiscent of a school stadium’s concession stand, and bowls of jelly beans plopped on tables near couches. At midnight, a decorative fridge stocked with cooked frozen pizzas opens for the taking.

It’s a place for a good time for people who aren’t all that into the standard River North clubbiness. Here’s what we saw when we stopped in.